- Jackie Coates - CEO, Telstra Foundation
As we close out the year, we’re proud to share some of the incredible work that’s helped shape brighter futures for young Australians.
Championing Digital Skills
Through initiatives like Code Club Australia, Moonhack, and the Codemates campaign, we’ve made coding and digital creativity accessible and fun for kids everywhere.
Amplifying Youth Voices
Our Australian Youth Digital Index, and Youth Advisory Council have ensured young people’s perspectives guide our work and influence the future of technology. This year, the YAC didn’t just advise – they led. They presented at SXSW, shared insights with the Telstra Board and functions, participated in media interviews and social media campaigns, completed global consultative work with the GSMA, and met with Telstra’s Sustainability team to bring youth perspectives into climate and social impact conversations.
Driving Digital Inclusion & Regional Impact
Working with partners like The Smith Family and PROJECT ROCKIT, we’ve helped bridge the digital divide bringing free skills, confidence, and online safety education to young people in regional and remote communities.
Through The Smith Family and WorkVentures (National Device Bank), we’re scaling efforts to deliver free devices to underserved young people, ensuring they have the tools to learn and thrive.
Supporting First Nations Communities
Through our partnership with the Digital Women Rangers program, we’ve supported the team to combine technology with cultural knowledge to strengthen community resilience and connection to Country as part of our RAP commitment.
And we connected Telstra people to Country through our ‘On Country Exchange’ program.
Improving Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing
Our collaborations with Orygen Digital and ReachOut Australia have supported the build of effective and Ai enhanced digital tools and sparked conversations about mental health in a connected world.
This saw the scaling of Orygen Digital’s MOST, Mello and MIND, innovative and clinically proven digital platforms designed to help young people access mental health support when and where they need it.
Advancing Youth Research & Advocacy
We’ve supported UNICEF Australia and MINUS18 to create research that deepens understanding of digital wellbeing and inclusion for young people, ensuring diverse voices shape the future.
Empowering Communities
We connected with Telstra people through initiatives like Laps for Life, encouraging community engagement and wellbeing.
We supported PROJECT ROCKIT to deliver parent and community upskilling sessions to help them support the young people in their lives.
Strengthening the Non-Profit Sector
Our Technology and Wellbeing Roundtable has helped build sector capacity and confidence, empowering non-profit organisations to more deeply understand digital opportunities and share their learnings with others.
We also ran Ai Upskilling Sessions for non-profits, helping organisations explore how emerging technologies can amplify their impact.
Thank you to our partners, collaborators, and the incredible young people who inspire us every day. Here’s to another year of making a difference together.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As we step into a new year, we’re excited to keep pushing boundaries – exploring fresh ideas, deepening partnerships, and creating opportunities that empower young people to thrive in a digital world. Together, we’ll continue building a future where technology is a force for good.
